As of the 2024–25 season – the 107th regular season of play of the National Hockey League (NHL) – 48 different ice hockey players have scored at least 500 regular season goals in their NHL career.
A 500-goal career was first achieved in the 44th year of the NHL (1957–58 ), when Maurice Richard scored his 500th goal in his 938th game. Evgeni Malkin was the most recent NHL player to score 500 goals, doing so on October 16, 2024.
Season achievements [ edit ]
The 2006–07 season saw the largest number of players (five) achieve their 500th goal (Teemu Selanne , Mike Modano , Mark Recchi , Mats Sundin and Peter Bondra ). A total of four players scored their 500th goal in 1995–96 (Mario Lemieux , Steve Yzerman , Mark Messier and Dale Hawerchuk )
The longest stretch between 500 goal scorers was the eight seasons between Gordie Howe (second to achieve the mark), in 1961–62 , and Bobby Hull , in 1969–70 .
Player achievements [ edit ]
The 48 players to score 500 goals consist of 34 Canadians [ note 1] , five Americans (Brett Hull , Joe Mullen , Mike Modano , Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk ), three Slovaks (Stan Mikita , Peter Bondra and Marian Hossa )[ note 2] , two Finns (Jari Kurri and Teemu Selanne ), two Russians (Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin ), one Czech (Jaromir Jagr ) and one Swede (Mats Sundin ). Stan Mikita was the first player not born in Canada to score 500 goals (he was born in the Slovak Republic , but represented Canada internationally ); Jari Kurri was the first 500-goal scorer who never played for the Canadian national team.
The fewest NHL games required to reach the mark is 575, set by Wayne Gretzky . Second-quickest is Mario Lemieux , achieving the mark in his 605th game. With Mike Bossy (647) and Brett Hull (693) following, only these four players needed fewer than 800 games to score their first 500 goals.
Of the 48 players to score at least 500 goals in their career, 19 reached the mark in fewer than 1000 career games played.
Of those on the list, Lanny McDonald came closest to not achieving 500 goals; he reached the mark with only four games left in his final NHL season. Similarly, Joe Mullen scored his 500th goal with only ten games left in his final season. Glenn Anderson was the closest player to never reach the mark, retiring in 1996 with 498 career NHL goals.
Four players have scored their 500th goal on an empty net : Mike Bossy , Wayne Gretzky , Jari Kurri and Keith Tkachuk.
Maurice Richard and Peter Bondra are the only players with over 500 goals but fewer than 1,000 points .
Patrick Roy is the only goaltender to concede more than one opponent's 500th career goal: Steve Yzerman in 1996, Joe Mullen in 1997 and Brendan Shanahan in 2002. A contributing factor for this statistical coincidence is Roy playing the third-most games ever by a goaltender , at 1,029.
In 2006, on Hockey Night in Canada , Mats Sundin scored his 500th goal short handed , in overtime , to finish off a hat trick and to win the game for the Toronto Maple Leafs .
A total of 20 franchises have had a player score their 500th goal while playing for the franchise. The Detroit Red Wings , Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins have had five players score their 500th goal while playing for the team.
To date, no team has had multiple players reaching 500 goals on the same team in the same season. The 2001–02 Detroit Red Wings were the first team to have three 500+ goal scorers on the roster (Steve Yzerman , Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille ), and would finish the season with four players in the club after Brendan Shanahan scored his 500th.
Wayne Gretzky is the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer.
Alexander Ovechkin is the active leader in goalscoring and second all time.
The puck Maurice Richard used to score his 500th NHL goal on October 19, 1957. Richard was the first player in league history to record 500 career goals.
This list is current as of November 24, 2024[update]
Legend
Rank – Ranking on all-time goals list
Goals – Career regular season goals
GP – Career regular season games played
G/GP – Mean goals per game played, rounded to two decimal places
With team – Team for which the player scored their 500th goal
Game no. – Number of career regular season games played when 500th goal was scored
HHOF – Year of induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame or eligibility
Active NHL player
Active player outside of NHL
Rank
Player
Goals[ 2]
GP[ 2]
Date of 500th goal[ 2]
With team[ 2]
Game no.[ 2]
Opposing goaltender[ 2]
HHOF
Ref.
1
Wayne Gretzky
894
1,487
November 22, 1986
Edmonton Oilers
575
(empty Canucks net)
1999
[ 3]
2
Alexander Ovechkin
868
1,444
January 10, 2016
Washington Capitals
801
Andrew Hammond (Senators )
Active
[ 4]
3
Gordie Howe
801
1,767
March 14, 1962
Detroit Red Wings
1,045
Gump Worsley (Rangers )
1972
[ 5]
4
Jaromir Jagr
766
1,733
February 4, 2003
Washington Capitals
928
John Grahame (Lightning )
Active (ELH )
[ 6]
5
Brett Hull
741
1,269
December 22, 1996
St. Louis Blues
693
Stephane Fiset (Kings )
2009
[ 7]
6
Marcel Dionne
731
1,348
December 14, 1982
Los Angeles Kings
887
Al Jensen (Capitals )
1992
[ 8]
7
Phil Esposito
717
1,282
December 22, 1974
Boston Bruins
803
Jim Rutherford (Red Wings )
1984
[ 9]
8
Mike Gartner
708
1,432
October 14, 1991
New York Rangers
936
Mike Liut (Capitals )
2001
[ 10]
9
Mark Messier
694
1,756
November 6, 1995
New York Rangers
1,141
Rick Tabaracci (Flames )
2007
[ 11]
10
Steve Yzerman
692
1,514
January 17, 1996
Detroit Red Wings
906
Patrick Roy (Avalanche )
2009
[ 12]
11
Mario Lemieux
690
915
October 26, 1995
Pittsburgh Penguins
605
Tommy Soderstrom (Islanders )
1997
[ 13]
12
Teemu Selanne
684
1,451
November 22, 2006
Anaheim Ducks
982
Jose Theodore (Avalanche )
2017
[ 14]
13
Luc Robitaille
668
1,431
January 7, 1999
Los Angeles Kings
928
Dwayne Roloson (Sabres )
2009
[ 15]
14
Brendan Shanahan
656
1,524
March 23, 2002
Detroit Red Wings
1,100
Patrick Roy (Avalanche )
2013
[ 15]
15
Dave Andreychuk
640
1,639
March 15, 1997
New Jersey Devils
1,070
Bill Ranford (Capitals )
2017
[ 16]
16
Joe Sakic
625
1,378
December 11, 2002
Colorado Avalanche
1,044
Dan Cloutier (Canucks )
2012
[ 17]
Jarome Iginla
625
1,554
January 7, 2012
Calgary Flames
1,149
Niklas Backstrom (Wild )
2020
[ 18]
18
Bobby Hull
610
1,063
February 21, 1970
Chicago Blackhawks
861
Eddie Giacomin (Rangers )
1983
[ 19]
19
Dino Ciccarelli
608
1,232
January 8, 1994
Detroit Red Wings
946
Kelly Hrudey (Kings )
2010
[ 20]
20
Jari Kurri
601
1,251
October 17, 1992
Los Angeles Kings
833
(empty Bruins net)
2001
[ 21]
21
Sidney Crosby
600
1,295
February 15, 2022
Pittsburgh Penguins
1,077
Carter Hart (Flyers )
Active
[ 22]
22
Mark Recchi
577
1,652
January 26, 2007
Pittsburgh Penguins
1,303
Marty Turco (Stars )
2017
[ 23]
23
Mike Bossy
573
752
January 2, 1986
New York Islanders
647
(empty Bruins net)
1991
[ 24]
24
Patrick Marleau
566
1,779
February 2, 2017
San Jose Sharks
1,463
Ryan Miller (Canucks )
—
[ 25]
25
Joe Nieuwendyk
564
1,257
January 17, 2003
New Jersey Devils
1,094
Kevin Weekes (Hurricanes )
2011
[ 26]
Mats Sundin
564
1,346
October 14, 2006
Toronto Maple Leafs
1,162
Miikka Kiprusoff (Flames )
2012
[ 27]
27
Steven Stamkos
562
1,103
January 18, 2023
Tampa Bay Lightning
965
Spencer Martin (Canucks )
Active
[ 28]
28
Mike Modano
561
1,499
March 13, 2007
Dallas Stars
1,225
Antero Niittymaki (Flyers )
2014
[ 29]
29
Guy Lafleur
560
1,126
December 20, 1983
Montreal Canadiens
918
Glenn Resch (Devils )
1988
[ 30]
30
Johnny Bucyk
556
1,540
October 30, 1975
Boston Bruins
1,370
Yves Belanger (Blues )
1981
[ 31]
31
Ron Francis
549
1,731
January 2, 2002
Carolina Hurricanes
1,533
Byron Dafoe (Bruins )
2007
[ 32]
32
Michel Goulet
548
1,089
February 16, 1992
Chicago Blackhawks
951
Jeff Reese (Flames )
1998
[ 33]
33
Maurice Richard
544
978
October 19, 1957
Montreal Canadiens
863
Glenn Hall (Black Hawks )
1961
[ 34]
34
Stan Mikita
541
1,396
February 27, 1977
Chicago Blackhawks
1,221
Cesare Maniago (Canucks )
1983
[ 35]
35
Keith Tkachuk
538
1,201
April 6, 2008
St. Louis Blues
1,055
(empty Blue Jackets net)
—
[ 36]
36
Frank Mahovlich
533
1,181
March 21, 1973
Montreal Canadiens
1,105
Dunc Wilson (Canucks )
1981
[ 37]
37
Marian Hossa
525
1,309
October 18, 2016
Chicago Blackhawks
1,240
Michal Neuvirth (Flyers )
2020
[ 38]
38
Bryan Trottier
524
1,279
February 13, 1990
New York Islanders
1,104
Rick Wamsley (Flames )
1997
[ 39]
39
Pat Verbeek
522
1,424
March 22, 2000
Detroit Red Wings
1,285
Fred Brathwaite (Flames )
—
[ 40]
40
Dale Hawerchuk
518
1,188
January 31, 1996
St. Louis Blues
1,103
Felix Potvin (Maple Leafs )
2001
[ 41]
41
Pierre Turgeon
515
1,294
November 8, 2005
Colorado Avalanche
1,229
Vesa Toskala (Sharks )
2023
[ 42]
42
Jeremy Roenick
513
1,363
November 10, 2007
San Jose Sharks
1,267
Alex Auld (Coyotes )
2024
[ 43]
43
Gilbert Perreault
512
1,191
March 9, 1986
Buffalo Sabres
1,159
Alain Chevrier (Devils )
1990
[ 44]
44
Jean Beliveau
507
1,125
February 11, 1971
Montreal Canadiens
1,101
Gilles Gilbert (North Stars )
1972
[ 45]
45
Peter Bondra
503
1,081
December 22, 2006
Chicago Blackhawks
1,050
Jean-Sebastien Aubin (Maple Leafs )
—
[ 46]
Evgeni Malkin
503
1,168
October 16, 2024
Pittsburgh Penguins
1,150
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sabres )
Active
[ 47]
47
Joe Mullen
502
1,062
March 14, 1997
Pittsburgh Penguins
1,052
Patrick Roy (Avalanche )
2000
[ 48]
48
Lanny McDonald
500
1,111
March 21, 1989
Calgary Flames
1,107
Mark Fitzpatrick (Islanders )
1992
[ 38]
Footnotes
^ Bryan Trottier was born in Canada and played internationally for both Canada and the United States, as allowed under the Jay Treaty#American Indian rights provisions.
^ Stan Mikita played for Canada internationally, however, being born in the Slovak Republic that existed during WWII, he is widely regarded to be one of three Slovaks that have reached the 500 goal mark[ 1]
Citations
^ "Ďalší Slovák do "klubu 500"? Štvrtý člen je zatiaľ v nedohľadne" . sport.sk. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2021 .
^ a b c d e f Diamond 2014 , p. 204
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 72
^ "Alex Ovechkin stats" . National Hockey League. Retrieved 2023-11-09 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 140
^ "Jaromir Jagr stats" . National Hockey League. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 144
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 64
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 66
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 134
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 90
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 116
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 85
^ "Teemu Selanne biography" . Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ a b Cameron 2013 , p. 44
^ "Dave Andreychuk biography" . Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 102
^ "Jarome Iginla stats" . National Hockey League. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 28
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 130
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 146
^ "Sidney Crosby stats" . National Hockey League. Retrieved 2023-11-09 .
^ "Mark Recchi biography" . Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 126
^ "Patrick Marleau stats" . National Hockey League. Retrieved 2021-04-28 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 94
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 111
^ "Steven Stamkos stats" . National Hockey League. Retrieved 2023-11-09 .
^ "Induction showcase – Mike Modano" . Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 148
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 16
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 69
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 26
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 156
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 91
^ "Keith Tkachuk biography" . Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 38
^ a b Cameron 2013 , p. 150
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 112
^ "Pat Verbeek biography" . Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 76
^ "Pierre Turgeon biography" . Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ "Jeremy Roenick biography" . Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 97
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 58
^ "Peter Bondra biography" . Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-01-01 .
^ Scifo, Dan (October 16, 2024). "Penguins' Evgeni Malkin becomes fourth active player with 500 career goals" . The Boston Globe . Pittsburgh. Retrieved October 16, 2024 .
^ Cameron 2013 , p. 152
General
Cameron, Steve, ed. (2013), Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Players , Richmond Hill, Ontario: Firefly Books, ISBN 978-1-77085-224-2
Diamond, Dan, ed. (2014). National Hockey League Guide and Record Book 2015 . Triumph Books. p. 204. ISBN 978-1-62937-011-8 .
History Personnel Records
League records (individual , team )
Statistical leaders (by country of birth )
Points, career (min. 1,000)
Assists, career (min. 600)
Goals, career (min. 500)
Points, season (min. 100)
Goals, season (min. 50)
50 goals in 50 games
Games, career (min. 1,000)
Consecutive games, career (min. 500)
PIMs, career (min. 2,000)
5+ goals, game
8+ points, game
Goaltender wins, career (min. 300)
Goaltenders who have scored
Wayne Gretzky's records
Gordie Howe's records
Longest winning streaks
Longest losing streaks
Related Other